A. Problem Analysis

1. What was the problem before the implementation of the initiative?

Gujarat State Police Force, comprising of 70,000 officers, maintain the law and order and protect the lives and property of 62.7 million (as per 2013 data) citizens residing in Gujarat. The police force works relentlessly 24x365 to serve the citizens regardless of caste, creed, religion and economic strata.
Traditionally, the police function under the aegis of Home Department & like any government agency operated on manual and paper based systems. This led to a not-so-healthy situation in the delivery of services to citizens of the country.
The following were the areas of concern which required systemic changes and an enterprise wide transformation program for protecting the lives and property of citizens (across the cross sections of society) and thus protecting the basic tenets of democracy:
1. Manual Interventions --- A paper based system led to manual interventions at each level thus creating a possibility of errors, intended misuse, delay in service delivery, and dependence on people rather than processes. Often it led to a scenario where citizens coming from lower economic strata without “right connections” in the department could not get proper responses, thus infringing the basic rights of the citizens.
2. Islands of Information --- Police department’s paper based processing and lack of technology adoption led to a scenario where there were duplication of efforts, redundancy in data and the integrity of the records could not be guaranteed. For an institution that deals with crime and criminals, this was not a very inspiring situation. Further, such disjoint systems and processes lead to a lack of synergy between sub-departments thus compromising the effective functioning of the department.
3. Service Delivery Issue --- Manual processes and human intervention at all levels often lead to a scenario where citizens could not get satisfactory response / support from the Police. This was more prevalent for “poorest of poor” people and people from the vulnerable sections, lower strata of the society. This situation often compromised with the right to security which is one of the pillars of a successful democracy.
Though government processes are very well defined for the betterment of the society, there are roadblocks which hamper the delivery of services. Such roadblocks include difficult recordkeeping, redundancy of records, difficulty in tracing crime and criminals due to islands of information, manual intervention on every level etc. For example, let’s take a case in which a person is suspected. But to find whether he/she has already committed a crime in some other jurisdiction area in history, police officers needed to rummage through a pile of age old papers. These kinds of roadblocks ultimately delayed the overall services and also deteriorated the quality of services. And such deviations and delays in services which involve security of the society should not be tolerated.

B. Strategic Approach

2. What was the solution?

A group of Police officers, led by the Director General of Police, based on their field experience proposed that an alternate system, on an IT platform needs to be built encompassing all branches of Criminal Justice System (CJS). The Home Department, Government of Gujarat, under which two branches of CJS i.e. Police Department & Prisons (Correctional Institution) come, decided to take on the challenge head-on and conceptualized the eGujCop initiative based on principle of “IT led Business Transformation”. It was envisaged to integrate the remaining two branches of CJS, i.e. Judiciary & Prosecution (which come under Legal Department), at a later date.
The solution integrates the backbone of Home Department covering functions like Police with all the offices including Divisional, Range, Commissioner, Superintendent, Director General Offices and other departments under Home including Anti-Corruption Bureau, CID Crime, Intelligence Bureau, Sainik Welfare, Home Guards, State Crime Record Bureau, and Directorate of Forensic Science.
This solution covers all the 1,100+ offices across Gujarat State with 70,000 registered users.
The eGujCop system provides an integrated system spanning the areas of detection, investigation and prevention of crime, a centralized crime and criminal repository and reports which enable tactical to strategic decision making.
The Department has also envisaged the linking of the eGujCop with systems / applications of other departments such as Automatic Finger Print Identification System (AFIS), eCourts (Judiciary), Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) etc.
The eGujCop program was formally inaugurated on September 19, 2013 by the then Hon. Chief Minister of Gujarat – Shri. Narendra Modi (Hon. Prime Minister of India from May 2014).
The system has been well accepted by the users and as on October 31, 2014, there are more than 3 Million live entries in the system including case entries, investigation and case disposals.
The eGujCop system transformed the functioning of the Home Department including Police. The transformational agenda was finalized by Home Department and implemented by private organization TATA Consultancy Services Ltd. under the guidance of the Nodal Agency - State Crime Record Bureau (SCRB). Details of the transformation undertaken are as given below.
1. Area of Concern (Then) -- Manual Processes, Time Consuming, Accuracy Issues
eGujCop Initiative -- Digitization of Processes
Transformation Delivered (Now) -- Fully digitized & harmonized processes for improved performance
2. Area of Concern (Then) -- Non Centralized and Distributed Environment, Duplication of Work
eGujCop Initiative -- E2E Integrated System
Transformation Delivered (Now) -- Totally integrated system with external interfaces leading to reduction in efforts & duplication of work
3. Area of Concern (Then) -- Islands of Information, Information Availability Issues
eGujCop Initiative -- Crime and Criminal Database
Transformation Delivered (Now) -- Single source of truth for all crime and criminal related information
4. Area of Concern (Then) -- Physical presence required for availing services
eGujCop Initiative -- Citizen Experience
Transformation Delivered (Now) -- Digitized citizen touch points enabling 24x7 access & citizen convenience
5. Area of Concern (Then) -- Data Integrity & MIS Reporting Challenges, Huge Manual Efforts
eGujCop Initiative -- Information Quality
Transformation Delivered (Now) -- Accurate information & ease of reporting, reducing manual efforts
The eGujCop system improves efficiency at the tactical level (data capture levels) and enhances effectiveness at the strategic levels eventually enhancing the service delivery to citizens with a transparent system with total data integrity.

3. How did the initiative solve the problem and improve people’s lives?

A program of the scale of eGujCop can be categorized as a “large and complex” program. A multi-location initiative with user base not quite adept at technology usage required the Department to think “out of the box” for making this program successful. Areas where innovative and creative thinking were used are enlisted:
1. First of a kind program spanning all the functions of the Home Department. Enhanced scope than other similar initiatives.
2. Bilingual software to ensure that the tactical layer can comfortably use the system.
3. Digitization of 10 years of legacy data (A policing system cannot be made live with migrating open balances only). The eGujCop system being a crime and criminal system, required 100% data of the last 10 years to be migrated for effective usage.
4. For capacity building, training and sensitization sessions conducted using Audio Video Conferencing on Satellite Communication medium. Under this approach, training was imparted (broadcasted) simultaneously on 550+ site locations and also question-answer sessions were undertaken.
The eGujCop system is flexible to interface with external systems and future enhancements. It is capable to step on to smartphone as an application to address the future of Governance - mGovernance.

C. Execution and Implementation

4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?

The eGujCop project, as a whole, is a huge one in terms of its spectrum as it covers 1,100+ site locations under different departments ranging from, backbone of Home Department like Police Station to other HODs like Forensic Science and Prison.
As envisaged, the project was rolled-out in a phased manner for hassle-free implementation and to make it acceptable.
As a stepping stone, Web Enabled Committee was formed under the chairmanship of Indian Police Services (IPS) officer of the rank Additional Director General of Police (ADGP). The committee was driven by small logically formed module-wise teams towards requirement understanding, application design and development activities. These small teams were driven by senior officers, who were chosen from various HODs, having relevant expertise and included various middle and field level officers. Software consultants from solution partners viz. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., KPMG Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd. and Gujarat Informatics Limited were also part of the team. The teams were responsible for liaising and coordinating with the objective of defining and enhancing the modules.
As part of the next phase of acceptance and enhancement of the application, Module-wise Steering Group Committee was formed which was responsible for scrutiny and acceptance of various modules in the application. Small groups, driven by Senior Officers, were formed under this steering committee for Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) & detailed scrutiny of each module. These groups included field officers of the corresponding offices.
Moving towards implementation, five teams for Infrastructure/Furniture, IT Hardware, Connectivity, Application and Digitization were formed and were liable to carry out specific activities across 1,100+ locations scattered across 196,000+ square kms, like:
1. Infrastructure Team was responsible for Site Preparation including Electrification and LAN Wiring of the offices and providing Furniture.
2. IT Hardware Team was responsible for understanding the hardware requirements based on study of 1,100+ offices. The team carried out procurement, delivery and installation of the hardware.
3. Connectivity Team was responsible for liaising with Gujarat State Wide Area Network (GSWAN) team and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) team. The team is accountable for ensuring consistent and uniform connectivity across the state and for resolving connectivity issues.
GSWAN --- is an IP-based wide area network which connects all 26 Districts, 225 Talukas and more than 3,200 Government offices in the state of Gujarat. GSWAN connectivity is being used as the primary connectivity for eGujCop project.
BSNL --- is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) which provides telecommunication services and has the widest footprint in India. Virtual Private Network over Broadband (VPNoBB) services have been procured from BSNL as a secondary and redundant connectivity for continuous functioning of eGujCop.
4. Application Team was responsible for identifying flaws/bugs in the application, ironing out issues and correcting them to ensure smooth functioning & use of application. The team proactively tracks and analyses audit trails and logs to ensure data integrity.
5. Digitization Team was responsible for digitization of paper based legacy data (crime and criminal records) of last 10 years with verification and correction process.
All these teams and their efforts in unison, were at the helm of the process of revolutionizing the policing function through the means of eGujCop application with the objective of achieving responsiveness in policing and providing quality service delivery to the vulnerable strata of the society.

5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?

eGujCop project had multiple stakeholders both from within the department and private institutions. The Department formulated the program with clear role and scope of work definitions for all the stakeholders to ensure a successful roll out.
1. Nodal Agency --- State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB), Gandhinagar
Appointed as the nodal agency for implementation and monitoring of eGujCop project by Home Department, SCRB worked for Conceptualization, Provide, Proliferation, Sustainability and Governance.
2. System Integrator --- Tata Consultancy Services Pvt. Ltd. (TCS)
TCS was awarded contract for application design development in 2006 and also as System Integrator (SI) for eGujCop.
3. Sub Vendors (Sub Contracting) --- Tech World, MBS (Data Digitization), Brittman (Helpdesk & Hardware Distribution) and Jetking (Training).
4. Network Provider --- Gujarat State Wide Area Network (Primary) and BSNL (Secondary)
5. State Project Management Unit (SPMU) --- KPMG Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd. (KPMG) India
KPMG came on board as SPMU in November 2012 and has been assisting SCRB in monitoring the progress of project implementation in the areas of SI’s work/activities.
6. State Project Management Consultant (SPMC) --- Gujarat Informatics Limited (GIL)
GIL (as SPMC), in consultation with Home Department, prepared Detailed Project Report (DPR) by studying the existing processes (As-Is Process) and formulated Request for Proposal (RFP).
OTHER SUPPORTING AGENCIES
1. Nodal Ministry --- Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India --- Provides financial support.
2. Nodal Agency (Central) --- National Crime Records Bureau, Government of India --- Provides technical and operation guidelines for integration of eGujCop with CCTNS.
The key to success of this program is the strong governance mechanism put in place by Home Department, Government of Gujarat, to ensure that the agencies and various stakeholders work in unison and create a best-in-class platform for developing a strong Criminal Justice System.

6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?

FINANCIAL DETAILS
Source of Funds:
1. Central Funding by NCRB --- Total of INR 40.35 Crores have been provided by NCRB since 2009 till date as grant for various components namely, Capacity Building, Project Management Consultancy, System Integrator, Networking and Site Preparation.
2. State Funding by Home Department, Government of Gujarat --- For some state specific activities, funds have been provided by the Home Department. These encompass Hardware Procurement, GSWAN Connectivity, Digitization of Records, Capacity Building, System Integrator and Site Preparation. This is because the Central Government has funded for all facilities only at the Police Stations & its superior offices, whereas the State Government has funded the Police Stations & its superior offices as well as Anti-Corruption Bureau, CID Crime, Intelligence Bureau, Sainik Welfare, Home Guards, State Crime Record Bureau and Directorate of Forensic Science. Moreover, the Central Government is only paying for BSNL network of 256 Kbps bandwidth of VPNoBB for Police Stations whereas the State Government has opted for BSNL network up to 2 Mbps bandwidth of VPNoBB instead & is paying the difference.
Utilization of Funds:
From the grant provided by NCRB, approximately INR 24.83 Crores have been utilized till date for various activities mentioned ahead. Head-wise breakup of funds utilization is as follows:
1. Capacity Building --- INR 3.89 Crores
2. Project Management --- INR 2.65 Crores
3. System Integrator --- INR 7.20 Crores
4. Network --- INR 6.32 Crores
5. Site Preparation --- INR 4.76 Crores
Application of Funds:
1. Hardware/ Furniture --- Computers, Peripherals and Networking Components have been installed at State Data Center (Gandhinagar, Gujarat), Disaster Recovery Site (Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh) and 1,100+ client locations. Furniture, which includes approx. 5 Computers Tables, 2 Printer Tables and 5 Chairs, have been provided to each location.
2. Connectivity --- 546 locations have been connected through 2 Mbps VPN over Broadband BSNL connectivity which acts as redundant connectivity. 2 Mbps MPLS-VPN connectivity has been provided to 57 Higher Offices.
3. Capacity Building/ Training --- Basic IT Training have been imparted to 17,000 police personnel. 1,592 personnel have been provided training for ToT (Training of Trainers). 13,351 personnel have been given Role-based training.
4. Sensitization --- 40 sensitization sessions through KU Band (Satellite Communication) have been conducted with different levels of Police Personnel. Also, sensitization sessions for the new joiners have been imparted on regular basis. Various sensitization materials including booklet, leaflets, posters, calendars and diaries have been developed and circulated.
5. Digitization --- Digitization of legacy data for the period 2004 -2012 has been completed.
6. Helpdesk --- 24x7 Helpdesk with 30 technical resources to resolve queries/issues related to Application, Hardware and Connectivity. On-site support for hardware and connectivity related issues’ resolution by technical resources have been provided.

7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?

1. Training
Basic IT Training of more than 17,000 police personnel has been completed at 29 District Training Centres. 1,592 personnel have been provided training for ToT (Training of Trainers). Role-based Training has been imparted to 13,351 personnel.
2. Application Usage
More than 550 Police Stations in the state are using eGujCop Application and more than 333,000 FIRs (First Information Reports) have been registered in the system. Overall more than 500,000 entries have been made in eGujCop application since the launch on 19 September 2013. Currently approx. 10,000+ users are logging in the system daily.
The social impact goes much beyond these statistics. As a simple example, previously the complainant was not always entertained with the copy of FIR because of the manual effort involved in making a copy of it. However, now printout of the FIR is taken and given to the complainant on the spot.
3. Digitization/Verification
Data digitization is a highly critical and sensitive activity keeping in the view the liberty of the citizens in a democratic country and esteem of an individual in the society, & in tune with the Indian Constitution Statement which says “Let Hundred Guilty Be Acquitted But One Innocent Should Not Be Convicted”.
Digitization of 1.35+ Crore crime and criminal records for period ranging from 2004 to 2012, has been completed which has resulted in a large repository of historical crime and criminal data. Thorough verification of these digitized records is also being conducted simultaneously to ensure minimum deviation from the exact.
4. Integrity of Data
Integrity of data is another critical aspect to be kept in mind while especially in case of Homeland Security. Given that there is no manual intervention involved because of the integrated end-to-end IT solution, the integrity of the data is intact. Further, audit trails are being maintained in the application to ensure that there is no tampering or fiddling with data.
5. Integration with other systems
To leverage the best out of eGujCop for the betterment of the society, integration with other existing settled application has been undertaken. For instance, eGujCop application has been integrated with Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) of Directorate of Forensic Science, Eklavya - a Regional Transport Office (RTO) application and Program to Identify and Arrest Criminal (PINAC) of Crime Branch. Ultimately, integration of eGujCop with other applications being used independently would undoubtedly amplify its reach and serviceability.

8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?

SCRB is the agency responsible for executing, managing and monitoring of eGujCop project. It is responsible for improving the application usage and promoting acceptability. Regular monitoring and review of various activities viz. Training, Application Performance, Connectivity Issues and Resolution is also done here. Moreover, Home Department (being the driving entity of the project) also conducts frequent review meetings to ensure that project is on the track and that the activities are performed in a timely manner to achieve the ultimate objective.
With the motive of further strengthening Monitoring Team to carry-out related activities, KPMG Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd (KPMG) was awarded the contract to setup the State Project Management Unit (SPMU). In November 2012, KPMG deployed the SPMU team at SCRB with key resources.
The following activities are being done by SCRB:
1. Monitoring, tracking, verifying and validating hardware delivered at 1,100+ client locations (which includes Police Station and higher offices), State Data Center (SDC) and Disaster Recovery (DR) Site. This activity has been completed as the hardware has been delivered at all locations, and SDC and DR site have been live since September 2013 and June 2014 respectively.
2. Continuous monitoring and reviewing of the Helpdesk functioning and providing recommendation for its smooth functioning. This is an ongoing activity.
3. Conducting site visits and providing recommendation based on study of issues and challenges faced by various field-level officials in using eGujCop application. This is an ongoing activity. More than 200 locations have been covered till date (jointly with SI, Application Team and Network Team) and detailed report covering status of Site Preparation, LAN Wiring, Connectivity, Hardware and Furniture, has been prepared.
4. Monitoring the progress of data digitization and capacity building which covers trainings at various levels. SPMU ensured that training at each level is performed as per guidelines issued by NCRB.
5. SPMU has developed a dashboard which provides summary of progress being made in the state in the form of Charts and Graphs. The dashboard is available to the closed user group of senior department officials who can see the daily updates on their internet connected Smartphone/ Tablet/Laptop/PC.
24x7 Helpdesk is in place to support users in case of challenges and issues as well as carry out proactive monitoring of application usage and connectivity.
SI (in consultation with SPMU) has established reporting mechanism to pull-out application statistics and usage progress at desired intervals.

9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?

Transformation from an era to the next has never been without challenges. The same applies to this project as well, which brings in Information Technology to move from an era of manual functioning to digital era for the purpose of making policing function more effective and efficient.
Delving deeper, one can classify the challenges encountered, in broadly three categories as elaborated ahead.
MANPOWER CHALLENGES
The major challenges and the strategy incorporated to overcome them are as under:
1. Low Computer Awareness - This was overcome through rigorous training and extensive capacity building exercise to sensitize the police personnel, to spread awareness about the project and to equip the police personnel, across the state, with the requisite skill set.
2. Hesitance in learning IT skills due to higher average age among police personnel - This was also addressed through the training, capacity building but more importantly handholding support which was given to the field-level officers which aided them in using the application with ease.
3. Overburdening of human resources involved in IT activities - Plan is to provide handholding support to field locations in the form of an IT resource who would assist in the area of application as well as connectivity, reducing the burden on Computer Operators.
PROCESS CHALLENGES
1. Resistance to accept transformation due to manual working in a stereotypical fashion for a long span of time - This was overcome through personal meetings and personal location visits to sensitize and make the police personnel aware of the benefits of an IT system.
INFRASTRUCTURAL CHALLENGES
1. Mammoth challenge of setting-up infrastructure in widespread geography - Approx. 1,100+ site locations spread across more than 196,000 square kms having varied terrain. This was overcome through careful planning and good execution.

D. Impact and Sustainability

10. What were the key benefits resulting from this initiative?

By bringing in Technology, one can maximize Governance with minimum Government, which ultimately leads to increased effectiveness, efficiency and transparency in public service. The eGujCop system uses Information Technology to empower police in providing better security and services to the society. Thus, the police personnel can also provide better and uniform delivery of services & ensure that no strata of the society is left out, especially weaker and vulnerable sections.
As said by then Hon. Chief Minister of Gujarat (and Now Hon. Prime Minister of India) Shri. Narendra Modi in the eGujCop project inauguration speech on 19 September 2013 “The strength from this application will be much more than holding AK 47s for our police force”.* The quote describes power of information in new age.
Below mentioned are the significant benefits derived through the use of eGujCop system:
REDUCED HUMAN INTERVENTION
For instance a practice, followed not so long ago, was that - at the time of lodging an FIR a police personnel had to write FIRs three times with the objective of providing one copy to the complainant, one to the Court (Judiciary) and one as a record at the police station where the FIR was lodged.
Implementation of eGujCop system eases all such activities of redundant manual efforts into a single entry in the application. This one time entry of records results in automatic generation of Station Diary (Logbook of daily activity in the police station), All Seven Integrated Investigation Forms (IIFs), Crime Registers, Crime Boards, Monthly Review Reports and other relevant registers for police stations and higher offices. Various crime statistics and crime registration trend analysis reports are available on real time basis which helps decision makers to take swift action.
Reduced manual data exchange leads to more spare time which can be utilized for Investigation, Prevention & detection activities leading to reduced crime. Now the Police even has more time to concentrate on Law & Order issues.
TIMELY AVAILABILITY OF DATA
Centralized crime and criminal repository makes it possible for police to squeeze out any record of any location which results in reduced investigation time, fast decision making and quick response to the citizen. Easy search of crime and criminals/accused/suspects based on modus operandi, biometrics, profile details from an online database which is available 24x7, for police officers empowers them to work quickly, effectively and efficiently in resolving crimes. This gives more satisfaction to the citizenry.
INTEGRITY OF DATA
As we are dealing with Crime and Criminal Justice System, the integrity and sanctity of data is of utmost importance since it impacts the individual liberty of the citizens. To ensure there is no tampering/fiddling with the data, the system maintains the audit trail of all the transactions which can be reviewed as and when required. To guarantee the integrity of data, further Third-party security testing has also been carried by Electronics & Quality Development Centre (EQDC) established by Government of Gujarat. This ensures that liberty of individual citizens is not compromised.
ADMINISTRATION AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (HRMS)
The number of police personnel involved in the functioning is large, approximately 70,000 and management of such a large personnel size is a massive activity. With the objective of easing this tough exercise of managing such a large number of personnel, Human Resource Management System (HRMS) has been incorporated in the system. The HRMS module utilizes the information of all the employees, available in the system, and facilitates the decision makers by providing a more efficient way of Human Resource management through analyzing and processing of employee data. Various benefits that can be reaped through use of HRMS, are:
1. Easy accessibility to manpower availability
2. Online database of all employee data across the state
3. Standardization of various administrative processes as per rules
4. Auto-generation of Service Book which is available online to employees
5. Employee driven system as employees are required to raise various types of HR related requests, e.g., leave, reimbursements, loans & advances
In summary, all the above mentioned benefits together lead to increased Transparency and Accountability in day-to-day functioning which in the end would result in efficient and uniform delivery of services across all sections of the society.
* Reference: http://www.narendramodi.in/egujcop-project-launched-by-narendra-modi-in-gandhinagar/

11. Did the initiative improve integrity and/or accountability in public service? (If applicable)

Sustainability is a system which meets the needs of current Government processes and functioning with openness and flexibility to be enhanced to meet the needs of future.
Sustainability of eGujCop on People, Process and Technology paradigm is described below in detail.
PEOPLE
---- INSTITUTIONAL SUSTAINABILITY
1. Building Executive Leadership and Commitment.
To drive the project forward as well as to ensure smooth running and functioning of the project, even in case of changing personnel or their mindset, commitment at the highest level was the necessity. To achieve the same, group of committed leaders having understanding of the benefits and technical aspects of the project, was formed.
2. Capacity Building, Training and Support Material, Empowerment of Police Personnel.
Along with the committed leaders, awareness and acceptability at root or field level was essential for the sustainability. To develop such awareness and acceptability, sensitization at massive level, comprehensive training across all the levels have been undertaken. 40+ sensitization sessions have been conducted and Role-based class-room training has been imparted to 13,000+ police personnel. This empowered the police personnel and transformed their mindset.
3. Change Management - IT and Behavioural Change Management.
Change Management as a process applies to (1) Changes required in processes due to implementation of Information Technology i.e. IT Change Management or Business Process Reengineering and (2) Changes in human behavior and attitude in accepting the system and the revised government processes that come with it i.e. Behavioural Change Management. Workshops, followed by number of meetings, have been conducted with module leaders, from various HoDs of Home Department, and their teams for reengineering of the government processes to maximize efficiency and simultaneously to minimize the redundant work.
PROCESS
---- REGULATORY SUSTAINABILITY
1. System fully complies with the Current Legislation & Norms and abides by Government Rules & Regulations.
2. System is open to enhancements and interfaces, if and as required by new policy or amendments.
3. To reap the benefits of the system to the maximum, change in policy concerning acceptance of system generated documents as valid documents, was required. For instance, this change of accepting system generated documents has been incorporated across the offices of Home Department.
---- REPLICATION
The eGujCop system provides a basic technology framework hence, it can be replicated in other States with necessary amendments required, as per their legislative processes. States like Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan have even expressed their interest in adapting this solution.
TECHNOLOGY
---- TECHNICAL SUSTAINABILITY
The eGujCop application uses latest technology with minimum need for incorporating changes in the system and has bilingual user interface which increases the users' inclination towards the system, as it provides interface in their local language along with English.
The eGujCop system is scalable, flexible, integrable and manageable.
FINANCE
---- FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Implementation of this system requires one time fixed capital expenditure and minimal maintenance cost in the area of software development and hardware provisioning, which would result in lower administrative and operational expenses through reduced paper and stationery usage.

12. Were special measures put in place to ensure that the initiative benefits women and girls and improves the situation of the poorest and most vulnerable? (If applicable)

LESSONS LEARNT can be looked at in following two aspects:
PEOPLE
1. Efficient & effective service delivery leads to improving the image of the Police force in the eyes of the citizenry.
2. Organizational transformation is a very difficult process, especially in Government sector, because there is lot of resistance to change, as this change brings a lot of responsibility, accountability and transparency which may not be welcomed by the staff.
3. Rigid mindset is the significant reason for not accepting transformation because of fear of unknown and unwillingness to learn. Some of the other reasons for resistance in accepting change are higher average age and varying levels of computer literacy of the staff. In many cases, digitization is being done by a younger lot who are not involved in the Investigation which illustrates the overburdening of the staff and is also a cause for not accepting change.
TECHNOLOGY
1. Technology brings enhanced transparency to the organization, which helps in making it more citizen-centric.
2. Selection of right technology stack and architecture at the right time is very crucial.
3. Organizational IT policy should be in place before moving on to the solution implementation.
For instance, a defined IT policy in place, before setting up the hardware infrastructure at field locations, would have helped managing security aspects with more ease, in branding and sensitization with more intensity through the use of project specific screensavers.
4. Setting up of IT Infrastructure in a state spread across a large geography with varied landscape, is a massive exercise as it involves lot of effort and time and should therefore be carefully planned.
5. Connectivity is a major irritant in rolling out a project over a very wide geographical expanse. The problem escalates directly in proportion to the number of vendors dealing with the connectivity. A lesson learnt was to develop a dedicated WAN for the State Police Force, which would increase even the security of such a sensitive data, which directly impinges the liberty of the citizen.
RECOMMENDATION
As can be rightly described, big transformation can be executed by cutting them down into small activities. For instance, project as whole was divided in to various activity groups viz. Application, Hardware, Connectivity, Digitization and Training. These activity groups performed independently towards achieving the ultimate goal, by cutting their responsibilities in to smaller tasks. An example of this is that Hardware was distributed in phased-manner by taking up locations on priority basis.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE
This is first-of-its kind integrated IT solution as a “Crime and Criminal Justice System” and has been a pioneer in covering a large number of offices, approximately 1,100+, and gigantic user base of approximately 70,000, for any Home Department in India. Overall experience of implementing the project has been enlightening and enriching but not without its share of challenges and issues, from which we have learnt a great deal. This experience would help in setting a trend and provide guidance for Home Departments of other States of our Country.

Contact Information

Institution Name:

State Crime Records Bureau, Gandhinagar

Institution Type:

Government Agency

Contact Person:

Sanjay
Srivastava

Title:

Nodal Officer

Telephone/ Fax:

079-23230581

Institution's / Project's Website:

E-mail:

cc-scrb@gujarat.gov.in

Address:

Office of The Inspector General of Police, Computer cum State Crime Records Bureau, Near Police Bhavan, Sector 18